Mirror, Mirror
by ancientgreekfreak
Summary: In which a very confused Milah falls through a mirror on the Jolly Roger, and into modern-day Storybrooke. Rumbelle, Captain Swan, an angry Nealfire ensue.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Happy hiatus, everybody! Oh, wait, you all don't enjoy immense amounts of pain and OUAT withdrawal? My bad! I guess it's not a very happy hiatus after all…Anyway, you know what they say, "A fanfic a day keeps the painful feels away!" (or something like that). In any case, I don't own OUAT because I am incapable of the cruelty and the genius that are Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. **

**P.S.-bonus points to those who get the literary reference in the first sentence!**

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a 'peaceful day in Storybrooke' never truly ends up being peaceful. Our story, however, begins some three hundred years with Milah standing in the Captain's quarters of the Jolly Roger, contemplating a mirror she had recently purchased on her and Killian's travels. It was worn yet ornate, crafted of what appeared to be mahogany, and if the shopkeeper was to be believed, imbued with magical qualities. What these qualities were, exactly, neither she nor the shopkeeper were exactly sure, and Milah doubted that they even existed, and the seller had simply been looking for an increased retail price. The mirror did, however, fit in quite nicely with Killian's décor, and the asking price was not ludicrous, so she went ahead and made the purchase regardless. As she stood admiringly in front of the mirror, the sun rose to its peak at high noon, and a particularly rough wave happened to send her flying into said mirror.

In present day Storybrooke, the mirror sat quietly in the back corner of Mr. Gold's pawn shop, as it had for the past thirty years and counting. Killian had sold it in one of his moods many years earlier; in his anger over Milah's death and lack of success in killing his crocodile, he had sold many of the trinkets Milah had bought over the years to random dealers in exchange for rum. Rumplestiltskin bought the mirror, having heard of the mirror and its rumored magical properties, but not long after, he met Belle and the mirror lay in a corner of Dark Castle, completely forgotten.

Until, of course, Milah came flying through the mirror and into Mr. Gold's shop. Rumple was manning the front desk and Belle was keeping him company, sitting next to the cash register and swinging her legs back and forth, chatting away about the latest book she had read. When they heard the monumental crash coming from the back room, they both froze abruptly, and watched as Milah stumbled into the room. "What-" she began, however, upon catching sight of Rumplestiltskin, she went as stiff as a board. Her eyes filled with malice and her nose turned up in the air. "What are _you_ doing here, _coward_?" she sneered, not appearing to be cognizant of the fact that Rumple appeared much different from the coward husband she had once known.

Mr. Gold liked to think that he was a reasonable man-being reunited with his beloved Belle had certainly done wonders for his temperament, as had being given a chance at redemption with Baelfire. Nevertheless, when he saw his ex-wife, whose heart he had _ripped out and crushed_, no less, calling him a coward, he felt the urge to do it again, redemption be damned. And from the look of fury descending upon Belle's angelic face, she wasn't going to be the one to hold him back.

In fact, it was Belle who stormed in front of him and began yelling, "Who _exactly_-" Rumple, surprisingly, put a calming hand on her elbow, "Belle, sweetheart," he murmured into her ear, in an attempt to quell her righteous rage. Belle, however, would not be deterred. "Who is this woman Rumple?!" she seethed, furious at the thought that after all Rumple had done in the name of redemption, this woman had the audacity to throw the word 'coward' in his face. With a rather resigned expression on his face, Rumple said, "Belle, this is Milah…my _ex-_wife."

Meanwhile, on the Jolly Roger, Killian Jones, better known in days gone by as Captain Hook, paced up and down the decks with enough force to make the heavily laden table beside him shudder. '_Everything must be perfect. Everything must be perfect,'_ he mentally chanted as though it were a mantra. He wrung both his hands (oh, yes, he had gotten his hand back from Rumplestiltskin and Belle on one of Belle's 'redemption' missions-but that is a story for another time), and counted down the minutes until _she_ would arrive.

"Killian, where are you?!" he heard her voice calling out, and he stopped pacing abruptly. "In the back, love!" he yelled out, and in a moment she appeared before him. _Emma Swan._ She was brave, she was intelligent, and she was _his_, for the rest of their lives, if she'd have him. Well, the matter of the rest of their lives would be settled, at any rate, if all went as planned. "After you, milady," he said, pulling out her chair at the table with a flourish and gesturing for her to sit. Emma raised her eyebrows and smiled slightly at his chivalry, as she always did.

She slid into her chair, as did he, and let the conversation flow as they enjoyed Granny's scrumptious creations. He asked how Henry's day was, she replied with a quip about how he'd be better if he hadn't taken 'Flirting 101' from Killian, as she was sure Jefferson was about to hunt the kid down any day now, and their easy flow of chatter continued in this manner. His plan was working well, Killian thought, as Emma appeared to have no idea that there was a black velvet box in his pocket seemingly burning a hole through his jacket.

(In order to spare Mr. Gold any further discomfort, we should probably re-direct our attention towards him)

At the mention of Milah, Belle's face became even redder, because this was the woman who had convinced _her _Rumple that he was a worthless coward, that he needed to drown himself in the darkness in order to mean anything, and wait—"Isn't she _dead_?" she hissed into Rumple's ear. Before he had a chance to respond, Milah herself cut in. "You've told her who _ I _ am, but I do not believe I have had the pleasure of making her acquaintance," she practically sneered, disgusted that a girl who could so obviously do better in life was standing up for such a sniveling coward. "Milah, this is Belle, my _wife_" Rumple introduced, shockingly appearing to be the only one in the room capable of keeping his cool. Perhaps he and Belle were more similar than they cared to admit when someone threatened or ridiculed their true love. Milah laughed disbelievingly, as though the idea of a girl as beautiful as Belle loving a man like Rumple was ludicrous.

Before Belle could respond to the woman, Milah scoffed, "No matter, it is of little to no consequence to me if you choose to waste your life with _him_. However, I must inquire as to where there is a dock in this….where am I?" Rumplestiltskin replied with barely concealed distemper, "Storybrooke. You are in Storybrooke, Maine, although I imagine that means very little to you…The docks are in _that_ direction," he said, motioning with his hand, "but I do believe…" Milah didn't even let him finish his warning before she swept out of the shop.

It took asking a few people for directions along the way, but Milah eventually managed to make it to the docks. A grin split across her face as she saw the Jolly Roger sitting in the port, and was about to begin wondering how the hell the ship could be sitting in the port when she'd been on it a few hours ago, when she heard Killian's voice. He sounded just as he had that morning, deep and seductive, and if she strained her ears, she could just make out what he was saying. "I know that we've only been together for five hundred and ninety-seven days, love, but they have genuinely been the best five hundred and ninety-seven days of my live. Would you make this the happiest one of the lot by agreeing to be my wife?" Milah didn't have to strain her ears at all to hear the resounding screams of "YES!" throughout the ship. She moved closer in time to see him sliding a ring onto the girl's finger. As they leaned in to kiss, she decided she'd seen enough and screeched, "KILLAN!"

**A/N: Not sure if that was even a legit cliffhanger…oh, well better luck next chapter. Anyway, the next bit is going to be a little tedious so you don't really need to read it unless you want justification for the actions of the characters. Mr. Gold: His lack of vengeance may be a bit surprising, but I truly think that after two years with Belle, and getting another chance with Baelfire, his resentment towards Milah has probably decreased, because he probably never would have met Belle if Milah hadn't left. Belle: Belle, however, knows Milah as the woman who bent and broke her true love, and made him feel worthless and cowardly, so she probably wouldn't be so forgiving. We've never seen too much of furious Belle, but if someone like Milah were to appear, I think we'd see the more aggressive, protective side of her, because it's definitely there. Milah: She has no idea where she is, and she doesn't know Rumple is the Dark One, so her rude levels are definitely going to be sky high, as both a defense mechanism against her confusion and genuine disdain for Rumple. Killian: Yeaaaah, I gave him back his hand. I just think that it's something Belle would like Rumple to do, and also something that Rumple would do to pay back the debt he owes Killian for saving Henry. And yeah, Killian and Emma have been going out for a little over two years now. I didn't really focus on the actual proposal so much as Killian's feelings for Emma, because that's more or less the main point. So, yeah bonus points to those who made it all the way through this massive author's note. Review por favor!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for all the follow, faves, and reviews! They definitely made my day(s)! Not even joking, every time I got an email alert about a new follower, fave, or review, I wiped the tears off my face dramatically and loudly thanked the academy. The problem occurred when I was in school…Anyway, on a more serious-ish note (yes, you may skip ahead if you wish), but I'd like to address any issues towards the characterization of Milah. Yes, I realize that she seems a bit immature in her reactions towards her surroundings, but I haven't seen anything of her on the show that would indicate that she was mature at all. She didn't seem to care about anything other than herself and her immediate gratification. Oh, and just for clarification, she doesn't know she's three hundred years in the future…yet. MWAHAHAHA. So, as I sit here pretending to write my reflection paper (oh, the joys of IB) I bring you…the second chapter. OH BTDUBS I DON'T OWN THESE CHARACTERS AND ALL THAT.**

Killian's face instantly drained of all color, and he quite resembled the ghost he thought he was seeing. "Killian, what is _going on?!_" Milah demanded, while Killian merely stumbled back in response, and Emma stiffened, having recognized the woman as Milah from the sketch Killian had shown her. She, of course, did not believe that it was truly Milah standing before Killian and herself, however, if for no other reason than the fact that this woman had been dead for _three hundred years_ (and if that wasn't a reason to doubt a person's existence, then Emma didn't know what was). Within a few moments, Killian had recovered an iota of his brain function from the immediate shock, and was thinking along the same lines as Emma; this woman claiming to be Milah had to be an apparition, now if only he could figure out how she had come to take this particular form. It couldn't be a siren, for he was sure that the bloody devil would take the form of Emma…wouldn't it?

Emma continued to stare at the woman claiming to be Milah, looking for the telltale signs of a lie: fidgeting, dilated pupils, an abnormally high pitched voice, frequent swallowing, but could find no traces that indicated that the woman in front of her was lying. _Could she be telling the truth? But that was impossible. Milah had been dead for somewhere in the ballpark of three hundred years! God, I…_ Emma was pulled out of her thoughts to see Killian stepping towards the woman claiming to be Milah. Fearing that he was under some trance, Emma grabbed his shoulder and spun him around towards her and pulled so his face was in close proximity with hers. "Killian, what are you doing?!" she hissed, the relief at seeing the lucidity in his eyes quickly being replaced by anger at his (rather characteristic) rashness. "Well, I _was_ trying to get a closer look to see if it is indeed the Milah I was once acquainted with, before you so rudely grabbed me, love," Killian said in injured tones. Emma began to argue, "But you can't just-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Emma was interrupted by Milah herself, _where in the_ _seven hells_ _she was_, and _what in the bloody world was going on._ Emma could only roll her eyes, because if she knew what the hell was going on, this lady would know, too. Whilst Milah was practically shaking with sheer rage, Killian noticed something shiny, swinging around on her chest. _A necklace. _Striding towards Milah, he grabbed the pendant, despite her protests, and turned it around. Surely enough, engraved on the back of it was the name 'Milah,' engraved in script, in the same style as when the same name had been engraved on his wrist after her death. Every detail of the necklace was perfect to his memory, down to the little nick on the side from when she had dashed it to the floor during one of their arguments. _But the necklace had sunk along with Milah's body, in tandem with any knowledge of its existence._ He staggered backwards, the blood draining rapidly out of his face as he realized that the woman before him was truly Milah, brought back to life somehow, standing on his ship in the most inopportune of moments. _Bloody hell._

Emma, in almost that same moment, realized that from the look on Hook's face, and the lack of swords being drawn, that this woman was somehow the real deal_. Fucking Storybrooke. _ She couldn't go a day without a weird quasi-supernatural occurrence, could she?! She was _supposed _to be having hot post-engagement sex with her fiancée right now, but lo and behold she was now stuck dealing with the woman whose death had left Killian heartbroken for three then, a horrible feeling of insecurity began creeping up her spine, only exacerbated by the fact that Milah was placing her hand on Killian's arm, and he wasn't pulling away. _Why wasn't he pulling away?! Did Milah not know that you do not touch that which belongs to Emma Swan!? _

The next words out of Milah's mouth drained all the fight out of Emma: "It doesn't matter who she is Killian, because I'm here now," she practically cooed in Killian's ear. He stood stock-still neither acknowledging nor denying her words, and Emma was instantly thrown back to the memory of having to leave her first foster home. She remembered her foster mother hissing to her foster father about twins on the way, her _real _children, how there simply wouldn't be any space for Emma in the two-bedroom apartment any longer. She remembered her foster father standing stoically, not saying a word in her defense, and the heartbreak as she was forced out of the only home she'd ever known.

Blinking back the tears, she decided that she wouldn't be dragged out again; she was going to leave with her dignity intact this time. With a glare directed at Killian and Milah that transcended words, Emma spun around and marched off the Jolly Rodger and into her Bug, valiantly keeping the tears at bay until she reached her room in Mary-Margaret's old apartment.

Emma marching off his ship brought Killian back from his shock-induced silence, and he groaned at the thought of what had just allowed to occur, the look of pure rage and betrayal etched over Emma's beautiful features rattling him to his core. Taking a deep breath, he looked up at the night sky. He would find a way to apologize to Emma later, try to make it up to her for reigniting her insecurities. _Well, that was going to take a damn large gesture._ He would prefer to start his groveling as soon as possible, but, unfortunately, Milah needed a place to stay for the night. So, he led her to Granny's as she protested the entire way because _why couldn't she stay on the Jolly Roger_ and _was it because of the blonde trollop? _ Killian managed to get her there all the same, and gave Granny a generous amount of gold to tend to Milah for the next several days.

Trudging his way to the Jolly Roger, Killian threw his leather jacket off of his shoulders and flung himself onto his bed. He caught a glimpse of the ink on his wrist and instantly knew that he would always be in love with the woman whose name was etched there.


End file.
